Was your DACA client’s renewal application erroneously rejected despite timely submission on or before the October 5, 2017 deadline?

Join us to discuss the latest guidance on how to resubmit DACA renewals that were erroneously rejected. In this brief webinar, we will review how to rectify DACA renewals rejected due to USCIS lockbox error or US Postal Service mail-service delays. Using different case scenarios, we will review when and how to resubmit, what to include in the resubmission packet, and how to advise clients facing a lapse in deferred action.

Learn more about the ORR-funded Citizenship Navigators and text4refugee projects, open to all refugee resettlement staff or those interested in citizenship in the United States. Both projects aim to increase the numbers of refugees and asylees applying for citizenship. CLINIC is also working to assist those refugee resettlement groups interested in learning more and applying for DOJ Recognition and Accreditation. The webinar will explain how both projects work, the benefits to becoming a Citizenship Navigator, and how best to use both projects' resources to help your clients.

Is your program interested in conducting a “mega” group application workshop for naturalization? This webinar provides an overview on the unique differences of planning and implementing a large, “mega” group application workshop for over 150 applicants. You will learn how to plan and organize this type of event, the resources and tools you need and the considerations you need to make during the planning process.

This second webinar in our two-part series is geared for organizations that are already recognized and have accredited staff. We will discuss how to renew agency recognition and staff accreditation, including how to complete the application forms EOIR-31 and EOIR-31A and what evidence to include. Renewal of agency recognition is a new requirement that took effect on January 18, 2017. EOIR sent letters to all currently recognized agencies to inform them of the recognition renewal cycles, which vary. Learn when you are due to renew your agency recognition and how to maintain staff accreditation under the new rule. We will also discuss how to extend your recognition to additional office sites.

The Department of Justice (DOJ), Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) issued new regulations for recognition and accreditation (R&A) that took effect on January 18, 2017. The new regulations made substantial changes to the requirements for R&A for the first time in decades. In addition, EOIR issued new application forms for R&A (EOIR-31 and EOIR-31A). In the first webinar, we will review the new eligibility requirements for R&A, review the application forms EOIR-31 and EOIR-31A, and discuss the kinds of evidence and other information required to demonstrate eligibility. This webinar is geared for organizations applying for R&A for the first time under the new rule. It is the first webinar in our two-part series.

On Nov. 6, the administration delivered decisions on Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for Honduras and Nicaragua. The administration terminated TPS for Nicaragua, with the last day of status being Jan. 5, 2019. A six-month TPS extension was put in place for Honduras (until July 5, 2018) due to the administration’s inability to make a decision for the country by the Nov. 6 deadline. These decisions affect 60,000 TPS holders and their families.

On Thurs., Nov. 9 at 3pm ET, CLINIC will hold a briefing to discuss what these decisions mean for TPS holders, CLINIC affiliates and communities.

What if your client paid a fine in connection with possession of marijuana?

Or admitted to a USCIS examiner that he stole a wallet from Target?

Do those scenarios trigger crime-based immigration consequences?

Crime-based inadmissibility can arise from both convictions and admissions, but these terms have legal definitions that we need to utilize when we assess the significance of our client’s criminal record or conduct. In this webinar, CLINIC attorneys Brad Jenkins and Susan Schreiber will examine when a case disposition constitutes a conviction for immigration law purposes and under what circumstances a client’s statements may constitute an admission triggering inadmissibility.

This year, lawmakers in all 50 states convened for regular or special legislative sessions. Nearly 300 pieces of immigration-related legislation were considered. They addressed critical topics such as local police involvement in federal immigration enforcement, anti-sanctuary policies in local government and colleges, as well as refugee resettlement.

Join Christy Williams, CLINIC’s attorney on the State and Local Immigration Project, and Jill Marie Bussey, CLINIC’s director of Advocacy, on Wednesday, August 16, 2017, from 2:00 – 3:30 pm EST for a midyear overview of state legislative trends. Key topics include best practices local advocates used to defeat negative immigration bills, challenges advocates faced, as well as predictions for the 2018 state legislative session.

Learn more about the ORR-funded Citizenship Navigators and text4refugee projects, open to all refugee resettlement staff in the United States. Both projects aim to increase the numbers of refugees and asylees applying for citizenship. CLINIC is also working to assist those refugee resettlement groups interested in learning more and applying or DOJ Recognition and Accreditation. The webinar will explain how both projects work, the benefits to becoming a Citizenship Navigator, and how best to use both project’s resources to help your clients.

Your client’s application is ready to go, but how should you organize the submission? What do you do if you need to withdraw from the case? And what steps do you need to take if you find out that the information your client gave you about a critical issue in his case is not correct? This webinar will review the Immigration Court Practice Rules, as well as the federal regulations relating to the conduct of legal advocates in immigration court.

You’ve met with your client and established that he does not qualify for cancellation of removal or asylum or related relief. Now what? Are there other remedies to consider? Could your client be eligible to adjust status? Apply for a INA §237(a)(1)(H) waiver? Leave the United States with a grant of voluntary departure? Seek termination of proceedings or administrative closure? And what will you do if the Immigration Judge denies your application or request? This webinar will review other forms of relief from removal that may be available to your client.

Your new client was released from a detention center in Dilley, Texas in December 2016 and now has a master calendar hearing set for October 2017. You know your client is afraid to return to Guatemala, but how do you come up with a theory of her case? What do you need to do as you prepare her application and decide on supporting documents? And if there factors that may bar her from qualifying for asylum, are there related remedies that may provide her with protection from removal? This webinar will review eligibility for asylum and related relief, completing an application with supporting documents, and special issues in preparing your client to testify in court

Who is eligible for cancellation of removal? An LPR convicted of a crime? An undocumented spouse abused by his or her USC or LPR spouse? A parent of a USC child who has been living in the United States for 15 years? If you said all of them may be eligible, you are on the right track. Cancellation of removal is an immigration court remedy that applies to different categories of people and, if approved, leads to a grant of LPR status or retention of LPR status. This webinar will review eligibility for different categories of cancellation of removal, including cancellation for lawful permanent residents, for certain abused spouses and children, and for certain noncitizens who have resided in the U.S. for over ten years.

What can you do if your client’s hearing is scheduled in Miami, but you and your client are both in Baltimore? Or you want the judge to allow your expert witness to testify telephonically? Or administratively close the case while your client’s U status petition is being adjudicated? While a case is pending, many issues may arise that you need to address through submissions to the court. This webinar will address the most common procedural issues that may arise in removal proceedings, and the options you have to address them.

You’ve met with your new client, who has a conviction for theft. You don’t think it’s a crime involving moral turpitude, but the NTA claims that it is. Who has to show it is or it isn’t? When does the government have the burden of proof and when does it rest on the person in proceedings? And what steps do you need to take if you want to contest the charges in the NTA? This webinar will review who has the burden of proof in different removal proceeding contexts, and how and when to contest the charges in the NTA.

Your new client is detained and wants to be released from custody as soon as possible. How can you determine if your client is eligible for release on bond or if he is subject to mandatory detention? If your client is eligible for bond, how do you get a bond hearing scheduled and what evidence do you need to present? And what if the bond amount set is too high for your client to pay? This webinar on bond will review eligibility for bond, the mechanics of getting a bond hearing scheduled, and requesting bond reduction, bond appeals and return of bond at the conclusion of the case.

You’re about to meet with a potential client, who has a first master calendar hearing in two weeks. What questions do you need to ask your client to assess options for her defense? What documents do you need to review and how do you get them? What issues might affect whether you take the case at all? This webinar on case assessment will review the issues and skills involved at the onset of representation.

Sharpen your court advocacy skills with CLINIC's new webinar series on removal proceedings.

As part of its Defending Vulnerable Populations Project, CLINIC is pleased to announce a new webinar series on removal proceedings to help you successfully advocate for your clients in immigration court. The eight webinars in this series track the entire experience of representing an individual in immigration court. We will cover everything from case analysis at the inception of proceedings to seeking relief from removal, and filing BIA appeals. The series will also review bond proceedings, master calendar hearings, motions and other procedural issues, and ethical issues in immigration court practice. Presenters will include the latest cases, court rules, and other legal developments in each webinar, and will share their practice tips based on years of experience representing individuals in removal proceedings.

Each webinar in the series is described below. We invite you either to register for selected webinars, or save 25% if you register for all eight. Those who register for the series will have access to the recordings of any webinars they miss or want to watch again.

$300 ($150 for CLINIC affiliates)

Individual Webinars

Each webinar is $50 ($25 for CLINIC affiliates). Registration links are below.

You’re about to meet with a potential client, who has a first master calendar hearing in two weeks. What questions do you need to ask your client to assess options for her defense? What documents do you need to review and how do you get them? What issues might affect whether you take the case at all? This webinar on case assessment will review the issues and skills involved at the onset of representation.

Your new client is detained and wants to be released from custody as soon as possible. How can you determine if your client is eligible for release on bond or if he is subject to mandatory detention? If your client is eligible for bond, how do you get a bond hearing scheduled and what evidence do you need to present? And what if the bond amount set is too high for your client to pay? This webinar will review eligibility for bond, the mechanics of getting a bond hearing scheduled, and requesting bond reduction, bond appeals and return of bond at the conclusion of the case.

You’ve met with your new client, who has a conviction for theft. You don’t think it’s a crime involving moral turpitude, but the Notice to Appear (NTA) claims that it is. Who has to show it is or it isn’t? When does the government have the burden of proof and when does it rest on the person in proceedings? And what steps do you need to take if you want to contest the charges in the NTA? This webinar will review who has the burden of proof in different removal proceeding contexts, and how and when to contest the charges in the NTA.

What can you do if your client’s hearing is scheduled in Miami, but you and your client are both in Baltimore? Or you want the judge to allow your expert witness to testify telephonically? Or administratively close the case while your client’s U nonimmigrant status petition is being adjudicated? While a case is pending, many issues may arise that you need to address through submissions to the court. This webinar will address the most common procedural issues that may arise in removal proceedings, and the options you have to address them.

Who is eligible for cancellation of removal? A Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) convicted of a crime? An undocumented spouse abused by his or her U.S. Citizen (USC) or LPR spouse? A parent of a USC child who has been living in the United States for 15 years? If you said all of them may be eligible, you are on the right track. Cancellation of removal is an immigration court remedy that applies to different categories of people and, if approved, leads to a grant of LPR status or retention of LPR status. This webinar will review eligibility for different categories of cancellation of removal, including cancellation for lawful permanent residents, for certain abused spouses and children, and for certain noncitizens who have resided in the U.S. for over ten years.

Your new client was released from a detention center in Dilley, Texas in December 2016 and now has a master calendar hearing set for October 2017. You know your client is afraid to return to Guatemala, but how do you come up with a theory of her case? What do you need to do as you prepare her application and decide on supporting documents? And if there are factors that may bar her from qualifying for asylum, are there related remedies that may provide her with protection from removal? This webinar will review eligibility for asylum and related relief, completing an application with supporting documents, and special issues in preparing your client to testify in court.

You’ve met with your client and established that he does not qualify for cancellation of removal or asylum or related relief. Now what? Are there other remedies to consider? Could your client be eligible to adjust status? Apply for an INA § 237(a)(1)(H) waiver? Leave the United States with a grant of voluntary departure? Seek termination of proceedings or administrative closure? This webinar will review other forms of relief from removal that may be available to your client.

Your client’s application is ready to go, but how should you organize the submission? What do you do if you need to withdraw from the case? And what steps do you need to take if you find out that the information your client gave you about a critical issue in his case is not correct? This webinar will review the Immigration Court Practice Rules, as well as the federal regulations relating to the conduct of legal advocates in immigration court. This webinar will also discuss what options are available if the Immigration Judge denies your client's application for relief, and how to prepare an appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA).

This webinar will include an analysis and discussion of the three executive orders issued on Jan. 25 and 27 and how they affect immigrants, refugees and the programs that serve them. Learn about how CLINIC and Catholic partners are responding and what your program can do. Share your concerns and ideas on how we can prepare our immigrant community for what’s ahead.

Our Mission

Embracing the Gospel value of welcoming the stranger, CLINIC promotes the dignity and protects the rights of immigrants in partnership with a dedicated network of Catholic and community legal immigration programs.